The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-12-13

4 De saved from ike procurement IN TIT
future by the removal o. It's cause.
Our scheme of taxation, by means o
which this needless surplus is taken from
the people and put into the public treasury
consists of tariff or duty levied upon im-
portaiion from abroad and internal rev.
enue taxes levied upon the consumption of
tobacco and spirituous and malt liquors
Ii must be conceded that none of the things
subjected to
| INTERNAL REVENUE TAXATION
are, strictly speaking, necessaries there APP
pears TO be no Just complaint Of his taxa
| ton by the consumers of these articles and
there seems TO De nothing 80 well able to
bear the bur den without hardship to any
portion of the people.
| But our present tariff laws. the vicious,
inequitable, and illogical source OF unnec-
essary taxation ought TO be at once
revised and amended. These laws, as
their primary and plain effect raise the
prices 10 consumers of all articles imported
and subject to duty by precisely the sum
paid for such duties Thus the amount
of the duty measures the tax paid by those
who purchase for the use OF these imported
articles. Many OF these things, however,
| are raised or manufactured in our own
country and the duties now levied upon
foreign goods and products are called pro-
lection to these home manufactures, be-
cause they render it possible for tho-e of
our people who are manufacturers, to
ma Ike these taxed artic es and sell them for
a price equal to that demand for imported
goods that have paid customs duty. So il
h opens that while comparatively a few
use the imported articles, millions of our
people, who never use and never saw any
of the foreign products, purchase and use
things of the same kind made In this
country and pay therefor nearly or quite
the same enhanced price which the duty
ad Is to the imported articles. Those who
buy imports pay the duty charges thereon
into the public treasury but the
great majority of our citi-
zens, who buy the domestic articles
of the same class, pay a sum at least APP
proximately equal TO this duty to the
home manufacturer. This reference to
the operation of our tariff laws is not made
by way of instruction, but in order III It we
may be constantly reminded of the man
ner In which they impose a burden upon
those who consume domestic products as
well as those who consume imported arti-
people. 1t is not proposed to entirely re-
lieve the country or this taxation 1t must
be extensively continued as the source of tn
governments Income, and in the rs-adjust-
ment IF our tariff the interests of American
labor engaged in manufacture should be
casefully considered, as well as the preser-
walton of our manufacturers II may be
called protection, or by any other name,
but II lief from the hardships and dangers
Of our present tariff laws should be devised
with especial precsution against inperil-
ing the existence of our manufacturing in
terests, but this existence should
not mean condition which |
without regard to the public welfare or a
national exi-ency must always insure the |
realization If immense profits instead OF
moderately profitable returns. AS the vol |
ume and diversity of our national activities |
increase, new recruits are added TO those |
who desire a continuance OF the advantages |
which they conceive the present system of |
tariff taxation directly affrods them. So |
stubborniy have all efforts TO reform the |
present condition been resisted by those of
our fellow-citizens thus engaged, that they
can hardly complain of the suspicion, |
TO a certain extent, that there |
EXISTS AN ORGANIZED COMBINATION
all along the line to maintain their ad-
We are in the midst of centennial cele-
brations, and with becoming pride We re-
joice in American skill and ingenuity, in
American energy and enterprises, and in
the wonderful natural advantages and re-
sources developed by a century's national
growth. Yet when an attempt is made to
justify scheme which permits a tax to
be laid upon every consumer In the land
for the benefit of our manufacturers
quite beyond reasonable demand for gov
ernmental regard, il suits The purpose of
advocacy to call our manufactu res infant
still needing the highest and
greatest degree of favor and fostering care
that can be wrung from federal legisla-
ton.
1t is also said that the increase in the
price of domestic manufactures resulting
from the present tariff is necessary in order
that higher wages may be paid TO our
employed In manufactures,
than are paid for what is called the
PAUPER LABOR OF EUROPE.
Ali will acknowledge the force of an argu-
nent which involves the welfare and lib
Fl al compensation of our labor is honorable
in the eyes of every American citizen; and
rs it lies at the foundation of our develop
nent and progress, it is entitled, without
affectation or hypocrisy, to the utmost re-
gard. The standard of our laborer's life
should not be measured by that of any
,ther country less favored, and they are
entitled to their full share of all our ad-
7aRtages.
By the last census it is made to
appear that of the 1882 ,099 of
,ur population engaged in all kinds of in.
lustries 1870, 493 are employed in agricul.
ure, 4,074,238 in professional and per-
onal service, (2,934, S76 eff whom are
domestic servants and laborers,)
While 1,S10,256 are employed in
rade and transportation, and $685.
II ara classed as employed in manufac-